Mail box



C. F. BECK June 17, 1930.

MAIL- BOX Filed Nov. 7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 17, 1930. c. F, BECK 7 1,764,674

I 10.1; BOX Filed Nov; 7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 17, 1930 f oHAn EsQr. Back on PARK nines, LLmoIswj .MAIL Box H application fi1ed November 7, 1927. Serial. no. 231,416.

- 1 This invention relates to mail boxes designed mainly forresidences, apartments and the like to receive and contain delivered mail matter, and ithas reference more particularly 5 to mailboxes of this character which "are provided with a'translucent'panel for the display of a house number thereon and-means for illuminating the panel at night. i

"In the development of the present ,inven- I tion,'the principal object has been to improve the 'legibility of'theilluminate'd house numberpanehwhich'object -I attain b scon struction that aifords a reflected and suffused I light on the'lpanel rather than-directlight rays thereon,andoccupiesbut a relatively small partzof the interior space of the mail 'Othen'objects and attendant advantages of the invention willlbefapparent to persons Fig. 5 isan enlargedhoriaontal section taken substantially onth'e line 5.'5 'of Fig.1; 7 Fig; 6 is a diagram illustrating the lighting'circuit of the box lamp from the door bellcircuit transformer; Referring to the drawings, '10""designates as an entirety a substantially rectangular box consisting preferably of a metal casting, the side walls thereof being formed with recs tari'gular' openings 11and 12, one ofwhich is normally closed by a "hinged door 13. and the other by a plate 14 secured injplace by headed studs 15 which, as-shown in Fig. 1, are driventhrough holes in'the side wall ofthe box above and'below the openin'g12with a tight'friction fit, but not riveted over, so that the cover plate 14 may be removed byidriving out the studs. On the rear edges of the side left hand side ofthe box, thusadaptingthe familiar with articles of. this character from opening 24,preferably obliquely 'disposed ja's walls of the box are cast identical hinge lugs 16 and 17, and onthe door 13 are'cas t'coop crating hinge lugs 18. The door 13' is 'sym metrical,, so that it can be'applied to the right- 'hand side' of the box, if desired, by merely inverting it from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and when so appliedv to the right hand side of thebox, the symmetrical cover-plate 14 can be transferredflto the door j amb on eitherside'of thefdoor; The door 13 is equipped on its inner side with a box 19 (Fig.5) containing an'or'dinarykeyoperated lock; anclmounted centrally on the] cover plate 14 is a'switch box-20 for making and breaking the circuit tothe' lamp through a 'switch operating lever 21 projecting through the outer cover of the'switch box. llhe front wall of the box isprovided with the usual mail delivery, chute 22, and hinged cover 23 therefor; f In the front wall' of the boxisformed an latter to be mounted adjacent to 'thev'ertic a'l shown'inFig. 1, said'openingi'ormedwith a marginal countersunk seat'to 're'ceive a translucent panel 25] that may be secured in place byan overlyingescut'cheon frame '26 and fastening screws 27; TheQtransIucent panelg25 is designed to havegprinted, painted or otherwise forln'edthereon opaque numerals 28 indicating for-example a housein'uinber;

Inthe rear of the panel 5251s a light refleeting. and dili'using'chamber 29 and below and communicatin with'the latter is a lamp 85 chamber 30; 'thesefchambers' being preferably formed by inwardly and downwardly extending walls 31 and 32 respectively that arei'ntegral with theiront wall of'the box, the light chamber 30-being further bounded by end walls 33 and j34located a considerable distja nceinwardly of the ends of chamber 29 anda bottom wall'35. In a suitable opening inthe end wall 33 is mounted a lamp socketsawhich removably supports a small electric lamp bulb 37 substantially centrally of the lamp pocket or chamber 30. "The lamp itself is thus positioned below the panel 25, so that the lightrays from the lamp extending upwardly from the lighting chambe 30 impinge upon and are reflected by the longitudinally and transversely concave rear wall'31 of the reflecting chamber, for which purposes said rear wall is preferably surfaced with a white enamel or other light reenhances the legibility of the numerals on thezpanel, making them much easier to read than where the light is positioned directly behind the panel so that its-rays pass directly through thelatter.

A lightused for suchpurpose as that above describedrequires, of course, only a very low voltage current similar to that ordinarilyemployed tooperatea door bell from a house lighting'circuit.by=the aid of a transformer. For. this purposeI operate the light circuit from the transformer of the bell circuit, and this isv illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 6 wherein B designates the door bell, P the usual. push-button, and BC the bell circuit through the voltage'reducing transformer T of the usual house light circuit LC. From one binding post of the transformer T a circuitline 38 extends to and through the switch 20. (Fig; 5) to one terminal of the lamp socket 36, and from the latter a return line 39 is joined at 40 to the return line of the bell circuit BC leading to the other binding post of the transformer. Thus, by a simple manipulation of the switcl12l,the lamp 37 may be lighted from the usual transformer T of H e doorbell circuit. f This is a convenience in situations where the, door bell is operated from the house lighting circuit through a transformer; but, of course, in other situations where the door bell circuit is battery-operated, the mail box lamp may be operated'either from the same or an addi tional'battery.

The box is preferably supported on a pair of angle brackets 41, being attached to the upper horizontal limb of the latter as by screws 42, and the brackets themselves being attached to the wall of the house as by screws 43. Integral with the vertical limbs of the brackets 41 are forwardly and upwardly curved arms as terminating some distance be low thehorizontal limbs ofthe brackets so as to form a simple and convenient rack to support newspapers, packages, and other secondclass mail matter too large to be deposited in the box itself.

1. A mail box having a translucent panel mounted in a wall thereof, and formed with a light reflecting and diffusing chamber in rear of said panel of less depth than the box and a lamp chamber at one side of and communicating with said first named chamber, and a lamp in said lamp chamber located outside the margin of said panel.

2. A mail box having a translucent panel mounted in its front wall, said front wall being formed with an inwardly offset portion forming a light reflecting and diffusing chamber directly behind said panel of less depth than the box and a lamp chamber below and communicating with said first named chamber, and an electric lamp mounted in a wall of. said lamp chamber and located behind the portion of said front wall beneath said panel.

3.,A mail box having an opening in its front wall, and a translucent panel detachably mounted in said opening, said front wall being formed with an inwardly offset extension .the'upper portion of which is concave on its front side and forms with said panel a light reflecting and difiusing chamber directly behind said panel of less depththan the boxand the lower portion of-which forms with the front wall of the box a lamp chamber lying behind the portion of said front wall beneath said panel, and an electric lamp housed in said lamp chamber.

4.- A mail box having an opening inits front wall, a translucent panel mounted in said opening, a light-reflecting and, diffusing chamber in rear of said panel and co-extensive lengthwise with the latter, a lamp pocket formed as an offset extension of said chamber of less length than the latter and disposed outside the boundaries of said panel opening, and an electric lamp housed in said lamp pocket. a

5. A mail box having an opening in its front wall, a translucent panel mounted in said opening, alight reflecting and diffusing chamber in rear of said panel and co-extensive lengthwise and widthwise with the :latter, a lamp pocket of less length than said chamber formed as a downwardly offset central extension of the latter and located outside the margin of said panel, and an electric lamp housed in said'pocket.

6. A mail box having a translucent panel mounted in its front wall, said front wall being formed with aninwardly and downwardly ofiset portion, the upper part of which is co-extensive with the len-gthof said panel and forms with said panel a light reflecting and diffusing'chamber in rear of the latter,

and the lower part of which is shorter than said panel and lies below the latter; said shortened portion constituting with the front wall of the box a lamp chamber, and an electric lamp housed in said lamp chamber;

. 7. A mail box having atranslucent panel mounted in its front wall, said front wall being formed with an inwardly and downwardly offset portion, the upper part of which is longitudinally. andv transversely concave lamp chamber.

'said panel and lies below the latter, and constitu'tes with the front wall of the box a lamp chamber, and an electric lamp housed in said CHARLES F. BECK. 

